


Reunite for Germany ( Wieder zu vereinen für Deutschland )

by ScribblyTrickster



Category: Hetalia - Fandom, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Berlin Wall, Gen, Historical AU, Historical Storyline, Possible torture, The fall of the Berlin Wall, Violence to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-19 14:42:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2392106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribblyTrickster/pseuds/ScribblyTrickster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wouldn't be for long... wouldn't it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Start of the Wall

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: 24/11/2014  
> Looking back at my work, I've seen there was a massive time-skip and fumble with the dates of things, I need to edit that.  
> I'll figure something out, but please read according to the dates written.  
> Apologies, I will fix this as soon as I can!  
> So please make sure you are aware of the dates!  
> Again, apologies! This is why you should always have someone read your work before you post!!  
> EDIT: 25/11/2014  
> Yay! I'm not a procrastinating little shit! So, I took the easy way out of the problems I found, I'm sorry but if I was to fix it all proper like, I would have to screw the order up and well, going back in time is all I can think of that doesn't screw with the order of the chapters. Enjoy, I don't know when the next chapter will be out, please keep checking back and recommending this fic, it's not very popular and the moment and that makes me sad. :(   
> But that's alright, thank for to all those who have given me kudos already, it means a lot more than you think. Alright, enjoy the story guys.
> 
> Comments, kudos and bookmarks are really appreciated!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbed wire FENCING. Everywhere.  
> It was everywhere around him and he doubted that Gilbert would do this, he'd be too lazy to do this.. Since it was done everywhere he assumed that it was Ivan, since the East was now under Soviet control, he was sure it was his doing.

August 15, 1961

Barbed wire fencing. Everywhere.  
It was everywhere around him and he doubted that Gilbert would do this, he'd be too lazy to do this.. Since it was done everywhere he assumed that it was Ivan, since the East was now under Soviet control, he was sure it was his doing.

Sure, people had been escaping through to his boarder to escape the Soviet control but this was a little... sudden. One of his friends had dragged him out to set sights on the thing. Ludwig walked up to the thing, scuffing the wire with the tip of his boot, deciding that he didn't like where this was going, he sighed, rolling his shoulders back and recomposing himself. He observed the people who took a look at the wire, both West and East sides, soon, guards came to shuffle people along back to their houses.

This wasn't going to be good.

August 15, 1975.

Fourteen years.  
Four different phases of the wall had been built up, Ludwig hadn't seen his brother.. well, he had seen him but he just hadn't talked to him. Gilbert would always be pacing up and down the wall, gun in hand and in uniform with his hair slick back. 

Ludwig would always stare when he could but normally watch towers would spot him and shine lights in his eyes so Ludwig would have to look away. Frustration was getting to him, and all of the West. It was a bloody wall and it was separating him from his brother. Ludwig would often run his hand on the wall when he went for walks.

Today was different, Ludwig had dealt fourteen years with this bloody wall and he just didn't want it there anymore. The wall had become a favourite place for graffiti artists, the wall so smooth, and repainted over every few days with guards sneaking through secret doors and repainting the wall white.

The bang of Ludwig's boot up against the wall echoed through the empty streets. 

 

Again.

 

Again.

 

And again.

 

He wanted this wall down and it didn’t seem to be moving.  
He knew exactly what lied on the other side of this white wall, the death strip where nobody could be helped, in the earliest forms of the wall, Ludwig would always try to help everyone who tried to get through, get through but now, he couldn’t help, it was a matter of risking your life, getting up and over the fence where most Westerners would help you or catch you, that is if you didn’t get shot down, mowed down by guards, torn to shred by dogs or bleeding to death. Guards were to shoot to kill and despite this, the odd person always seemed to get through. Persistent, but if he was put in that same situation, he probably would be too.

Ludwig climbed up onto the little platforms people had built to have a look over the wall, looking below at no-man’s land and sighing before spotting his brother.

Again, uniform, hair slicked back and gun holstered, probably with the safety off and patrolling with another guard. He had guessed that guards were probably put together to make sure the other one wouldn’t escape, sure enough he was spotted and another beam of light was shined into his eyes. Wincing at the bright light, Ludwig got down from the platform and sighed. He moved his icy blue eyes to see more graffiti artists spraying onto the wall ‘Wieder zu vereinen für Deutschland’. He felt his stomach drop, people would write these silent cries onto the wall, but it’d always be repainted over, he wondered if the guards that would paint this over ever actually read the things that were painted onto the wall, if they actually felt sick that this wall was dividing families… dividing a nation into two…


	2. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one person he hated so much had now all control over him and he hated it, he hated Ivan.  
> The building of the wall was all very sudden, the albino had not even been informed by it. He had to find out himself when he had woken up by the unusually loud surroundings of the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take Note!!  
> Prussia's Point of View!!  
> Written by Jennifer: @makototachibara (Twitter)

August 15, 1961

The Prussian had not been himself ever since the war.  
He had taken a few steps back from his brother, ignoring the fact his people were quite dependent on him. He knew East Germans went to the West everyday, he knew they had to if they wanted to find a job, get food for their families. He himself refused to go to see Ludwig.

The one person he hated so much had now all control over him and he hated it, he hated Ivan.  
The building of the wall was all very sudden, the albino had not even been informed by it. He had to find out himself when he had woken up by the unusually loud surroundings of the city.

He immediately knew something was wrong, Ivan had been complaining about the movement to the American side of the country. When he arrived to the center of the nuisance, he needed time to progress what was actually going on and if it was really happening.  
He hurried to the wall but was suddenly grabbed by both his arms, he turned around to see Ivan. The Prussian cursed and screamed at him, he demanded an explanation, but he did not get any response except for Ivan stating the obvious. Anything he said did not seem to effect the taller one at all. He instead kept his grip on Gilbert, who got one last glimpse of his brother while he was held back from going to the wall.

August 15, 1975.

He had to guard the wall, keeping his own people away from family, away from their jobs, from an opportunity to give their children a better life than they had themselves. Had had to see people die and get arrested for claiming their rights as human.

It had only taken the white haired German fourteen years to turn this bitter.  
He hated everything, he hated Ivan, he hated the situation, he hated the wall, he despised his brother, but most of all, no matter how much he told himself otherwise, he hated himself. He hated himself the most of all.

The man who always was so full of himself, always knew how to hide his insecurities well, was now hating himself. The hate turned into disgust, he was disgusted by himself and his biggest fear had come true, Ivan found out. The blood of many was on his hands, ever since the Teutonic Knights the empire was almost always in war. The Russian knew this and was all too happy to use this against Gilbert.  
They had always hated each other, but how he felt now has never even crossed his mind.

He used to be so angry at his brother, he refused to even talk to him. He put all the blame on Ludwig. The miserable situation he had been in at the start of the wall had made him awfully jealous of his little brother. He used to be so strong, now he was just a normal man like anyone else.  
He was not even an empire anymore, he was just another part of Germany. Before the war he had taken all authority from him, now he had to face the worst consequences.

Or well, that is how he used to feel it. A judgement full of anger and jealousy. His vision had changed,


	3. Christmas with Bruder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just a stream of light, what bad could it do. He could deal with it and spend Christmas with his bruder, right?
> 
> Wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This becomes Prussia's P.O.V. mid-way.  
> Prussia's Point of View written by Jennifer: (@makototachibara (Twitter))

October 28, 1975.

Dear diary,

People have started to take their anger out on the wall. Guards keep throwing tear gas over the wall and the Westerns keep throwing it back over. Bruder seems to not want to even try talking to me, it's been so long since I've heard "I am awesome!" I think I may be having a dream, this can't go on for very much longer, can it?  
Maybe it could.

Ludwig.

December 25, 1975.

Ludwig sighs softly, looking out to the white streets. Nobody would be in the streets, not in the West anyway. He wondered if the guards would be off this year, who was he kidding? They never got days off, even still, Gilbert wouldn't even bother to try. As he was thinking, lulling his thoughts over, he wondered if Ivan would rub off on Gilbert, maybe he would hate Ludwig even more... or maybe Gilbert would change so much that not even his own brother would be able to recognize him. Ludwig shrugged and made a flask of warm coffee, rugging himself up with a jacket and scarf before he set for the wall.

The wall was re-coated white two days ago but now it was painted with Christmas colours. He smiled softly before tucking his scarf in a little tighter and the little army green flask into his jacket pocket, trudging up the platform stairs to look over the wall. 

Just as Ludwig pictured, Gilbert, uniform on, hair slicked back, gun in his arms with another guard that he hadn't seen before. Slowly sliding himself to the base of the platform, setting his legs over the side of the platform and making himself comfortable, he opened up his flask and tipped to Gilbert.

Gilbert's eyes wouldn't travel to Ludwig, he didn't want them to. That's why he was dressed in a brown jacket so he could score a little extra time at peeking over the wall, looking at his brother. It was Christmas after all, surely the guards would be a little more giving since it was Christmas but it didn't change, not for fourteen years, he doubt it'd change for the fifteenth.

"Merry Christmas bruder..." Ludwig mumbled before filling his cheeks with the warm coffee. Flipping his jacket collar to the wind, he tucked his scarf in again and huddled himself in to watch his bruder, sure this wasn't proper Christmas but at least it was better than not seeing him at all as the Easterners were hoping.

That's when he saw the army green jeep travelling towards the watch tower, the guards were going to be exchanging shifts. One of the guards up the tower first, one down, then the other one up and the other one down. It seemed a little bit silly to Ludwig but he supposed it was taking every little measure they could to stop more escapes. 

Looking into the jeep's windscreen, he could see Ivan. Ivan was normally always in the jeep when they did change overs and Ivan would always find Ludwig out. Ivan waved to him and Ludwig could feel his glare go into the Russian and the blinding stream of light that came his way.

Not today. Ludwig thought. No, not today. Ludwig put his hand up to get the stream of light away from his eyes as he took slow and steady gulps of the coffee to warm himself. Over the years Ludwig was getting more and more stubborn about the wall, he couldn't help it, the Western people were getting more and more frustrated about the wall and it all built up with Ludwig.

It's just a stream of light, what bad could it do. He could deal with it and spend Christmas with his bruder, right?

Wrong.

____Prussia's P.O.V.____

Every Christmas had been extra painful for the East Berliners, or actually East Germans in general.

The boulevard East Berlin was famous for, Unter den Linden, was covered in bright Christmas lights and nearly every store window along major streets had a Christmas decoration of some kind. There were even three 40 foot tall Christmas trees put up on famous squares in the city. The only difference laid in the mood of the people.

But no, East Berlin looked like any other city in Europe during that time of the year, if you stayed away from the wall, that was.

"The East Germans have decided that you can't beat Christmas." The words of that certain Western diplomat had been ghosting through the Prussian's head for days. What did it mean?

Gilbert had read the papers from the other side of the town every day, he was desperate to be up to date to everything that happened to the West, to his brother. "I guess being an overprotective older brother will never get our of your system." A sarcastic grin was on his face as he muttered those words, throwing the newspaper he just finished reading aside.

Despite the mood being a little cheerier, the guards a little nicer and the tight Russian grip a little looser, the East Germans still missed their families. They wanted to hold their relatives and friends close during the holidays.

In the first years they had expected being allowed to go to the West during these times. Gilbert had let his hopes up too much, he had already planned out what he would do. He wanted to hold his brother close again, he wanted to tell him how terribly sorry he was, just a few moment he needed.

Even though time found that not being the case, every year there were still plenty of Germans to be found around the wall. They hoped to see their family or friends from the West for even just a few moments, maybe even shout a loud but quick 'Merry Christmas' at each other.

Gilbert himself found himself continuously out of guard, looking at the other side of the wall for just too long. Sometimes he would get told off by the other guards, other times they let him but in the worst cases they had told Ivan. The Russian knew he could not control the stubborn albino enough to actually make him stop hoping, to not have the Prussian strike whenever he had the chance to. But, he still tried. Just like Gilbert tried to fight his way to freedom, to get that damn wall away.

The fuss around the tower had now caught the attention of the fallen empire and it did not take him long searching the other side to see just his brother on the other side.

Without even thinking he exclaimed a loud yell, the start of his brother's name.

He had made a mistake. A huge mistake.

Before he even finished the other's name, he had already covered his mouth with both hands, as if it would cover up the act of resistance he just showed.

But it was too late already, when he looked at the group of guards he found the Russian's eyes fixed on him, the false smile on the Ivan's face too sweet.

He was in trouble, but he had seen his brother on Christmas and showed him he cared. That was all that mattered, it had been worth it.

Hadn't it?


	4. Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All he could do was watch as his brother was taken away from the wall with an all but too sickly sweet smile from Ivan and a wave goodbye

December 25, 1975

....

What. A. Dummkopf. 

He hadn't heard his bruder say his name for fourteen years, it took everything for him not to just flinch at his name. The guards started to make a fuss quickly, started to fuss over his bruder. Ludwig knew that he'd be okay, guards weren't permitted to shoot over the wall, however, any shootings could happen on their side of the wall.

His older.. but arschloch of a bruder was in trouble, that dummkopf. He knew he was in trouble, you could see the look on his face, well, maybe Ludwig would be able to if there wasn't more light in his eyes.

No, he was watching what was going to happen, he already knew schiesse had hit the fan, what was even worse that he couldn't do anything, he couldn't do anything at all. Nothing that would help, he could throw his coffee over the wall but that'd only cause more trouble.

All he could do was watch as his brother was taken away from the wall with an all but too sickly sweet smile from Ivan and a wave goodbye.

December 26, 1975

Ludwig hadn't left the wall. He hadn't even thought of it.

He had dozed off a few times but he was sure that Gilbert was going to return, or maybe he shouldn't be so hopeful, he had to fend off the mirrors and lights flashing in his eyes, he wouldn't move a muscle until he saw his bruder again.

Surely that dummkopf would know that if he yelled out to Ludwig there'd be punishment but yet he still did, he either had a brain fart or he cared an awful lot. Ludwig liked the second guess better than the first and however stupid Gilbert could get, Ludwig wouldn't put it past Gilbert to do both at the same time.

He didn't know.

He didn't want to know..

Or did he?

Ludwig slowly slipped from the platform and bolted back to his little flat, filled the flask that was filled with coffee back up with water, changed coats and ran back to the platform.

Nothing.

He sighed and rested his temple up against the post of the platform and resumed his waiting.

Waiting... 

 

Waiting...

 

 

Waiting.. 

December 27, 1975

Still nothing, maybe Gilbert had been moved to patrol another area, guards changed, Ludwig fell asleep and the people started to talk about the lone Western man sitting on the platform. 

Rumors started, people often brought tins of beans or cold soup, warmed if he was lucky, he knew this probably wasn't wise to just watch guards patrol up and down the wall, watch Ivan swap guards, even Ivan seem to just let Ludwig's presence watch the snow-white grounds, watch the military jeep go back and forth.

Ludwig's eyes dropped shut, leaning on the post and getting a much needed sleep.

December 28, 1975

Ludwig opened them back up to see a white haired man patrolling with a light blond one, he perked up but as soon he turned he saw it wasn't Gilbert, but these weren't the guards that he had been watching... so Ludwig thought that he had been asleep roughly about eight or maybe ten hours, he had defiantly slept through the night in this case because he could see the horizon slowly creeping up with a very light blue, almost white.

Hopping off the platform, doing his daily run for water and a fresh coat, he saw the fresh tin of soup when he came back. Ludwig gathered the tin, taking his gloves off and letting the warmth of the tin slowly snake its way into his freezing hands. He almost moaned at the warmth the little tin gave off, someone had to get up awfully early to have this little tin warmed and up there with him.

People were kind over in the West, since they had the supplies, just not the money, almost everything was shared, so even a little gesture of warmed soup meant a lot to him, he mentally thanked whoever left him this little tin and greedily gulped the soup down.

He put the tin on the steps carefully then turned back to the other side of the wall. More waiting and another trip of the jeep, with Ivan inside, waving to him as sickly happy as ever.

Gott, what was his problem? Ludwig was sure the pain that Ivan was causing everyone was visible to Ivan but Ivan didn't seem to care.

 

Arschloch.


	5. The Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One evening he had managed to not get pissed off and end up shouting at Ivan and had gotten one of his coats. It immediately became clear to Gilbert why the Russian was never cold at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prussia's Point of View written by Jennifer: (@makototachibara (Twitter))

A month.

He hadn't been outside for a month.  
After the incident around the wall he had to stay at Ivan's house and do jobs around the house. 

Having to guard the wall, having to see his own people in poverty was bad but it was nothing compared to the to the hard and long work days in the cold.

He had gotten awfully thin by the years. He used to hide it under the thick, wide military clothes but the new clothes he was given to do his work for Ivan revealed how weak his body had gotten. The clothes were barely enough to protect him from the terrible winter cold, doesn't that damn Russian have a heater?

The cold almost made him yearn for the evening. It was no secret Ivan was quite.. desperate for friends. When all work was done after dinner, Gilbert had to go around doing all kinds of activities for friends. As much as he hated Ivan, he had started to love his warmth. He hated being pressed close to the Russian, having to act like they have been friends ever since time has begun but he wanted to have the warmth of his clothes closer to him.

One evening he had managed to not get pissed off and end up shouting at Ivan and had gotten one of his coats. It immediately became clear to Gilbert why the Russian was never cold at home.

Gilbert had been able to enjoy the warmth of the cold until the 'incident' happened during cooking. Ivan was furious, rightfully though; his entire kitchen was on fire when he found the Prussian calmly sitting on a chair, enjoying the nice warm fire. However not as rightfully as the reasons Gilbert had done it, or at least in the Prussian's opinion. Unfortunately, Ivan did not agree.

\----

Here he was again, guarding the wall.

He did not dare to try and look over the wall, he was too afraid the Russian would find a worse punishment.


	6. Ich bin EIN Berliner.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was civis romanus sum ("I am a Roman citizen"). Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner!"... All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking back at my work, I've seen there was a massive time-skip and fumble with the dates of things, I need to edit that.  
> I'll figure something out, but please read according to the dates written.  
> Apologies, I will fix this as soon as I can!  
> So please make sure you are aware of the dates!  
> Again, apologies! This is why you should always have someone read your work before you post!!
> 
> And yes, this chapter is based on a real event that happened, you'll find out the result of this happenings in the chapters to come.  
> I'm unsure when the next chapter will be out, just keep checking back! :)

January, 30 1976.

Ludwig looked over the wall.

That was him. His brother was back…

Wait… Was that him?

There was a man, that looked like Gilbert, skinnier and looking a lot more worn down. Ludwig’s eyes scanned over the man that seemed to refuse to give him any sort of attention. As Ludwig desperately tried to get the guard to look at him, the guard’s pair turned, twisted his expression and steered the Gilbert like guard from his presence.

This wasn’t going to pass. Not any time soon.

But Ludwig sure hoped he was wrong.

 

**Back in time we go**

June 25, 1963

“Herr Ludwig!” The older woman, Elke, who sat in the shade of the wall called. “Herr, you’ve been out here for a while, would you like to sit with us?”

There, in the shade of the wall that Ludwig had become accustomed to live with, sat a group of five women, four elder women and one younger woman. He had sat with them on multiple occasions, just sitting there to catch up with what the local gossip was. He smiled softly and got off his platform to sit with the women he had become so accustomed to. 

“Hallo Ludwig! It’s nice to see you again!” A brown headed woman turns to him, her name was Lieselotte and was one of the youngest of the lot and a lot more excitable of the lot, she was Elke’s daughter and sat there to keep the conversation going. He smiled, and greeted her with a curt nod as the elder woman all exchanged greetings before going on with their knitting. Ludwig rested himself against one of the empty chair and listened in.

Lieselotte stood up and poured him a drink in one of the glasses that hadn’t been used. The summer heat had brought all the-normally housebound ‘Hausfrau’ out from their houses to the shade of the wall.

“Danke Lilo.” Ludwig smiled at her as she handed him the glass before seating herself back down, picking her book back up. “Are you ignoring the conversations today?” Lieselotte nodded, flicking her green eyes up to his blue ones. 

“For today, I found this book on Soviet history and it’s taken my interest by storm.” She hums softly before flicking her gaze back down at the book. Ludwig chuckled to himself in amusement before resting his head back against the chair, letting his eyes drop shut.

What didn’t seem too long after he had closed his eyes, Elke’s and Lieselotte’s laughter as an obnoxious American voice was speaking, the women’s laughter stopped as soon as Ludwig shifted and opened his eyes. His vision finally fixed on Alfred.  
Ludwig groaned inwardly. He sighed softly before raising his eyebrow in question. 

“Hallo Alfred, how-”

“Ludwig! Dude! You gotta head to this speech old man Kennedy is doing!” The annoying American accent nearly screamed, disturbing what little peace Ludwig had still. 

“Ja, alright I will come. I suppose I have to.” Ludwig agreed as he stood up from his seat. “When is it? I suppose Mr. Kennedy will want me there in any matter. Alfred, may we talk about this over a walk? This is no matter for these women’s ears.”

Alfred said his goodbyes to the group of women that had now managed to go from five to two. They parted as Ludwig promised to be back. As soon as they turned their backs, the two women started to giggle and speak quietly between themselves in German, which made Ludwig mildly curious.

“When is it?” Ludwig pressed as soon as they weren’t able to be heard by the women. Alfred turned to him and cleared his throat.  
“Tomorrow, at noon. It’s all about the unity and the cold war. He hopes he’ll be able to swing Ivan’s boss to at least let families see each other, even if it’s still under strict rules.” Alfred explains, chewing on his shirt collar. “Man I really hate this, why does Ivan’s big man gotta be such a dick?”  
Ludwig rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t believe you understand how you are barely receiving any of the pain that this wall is given me and my bruder Alfred, all due respect. Tell Mr. Kennedy I will be present.” He nodded quickly before shuffling back to the two women who were still giggling to themselves. He had to smile, while the wall did make most people upset and depressed, there were little moments of happiness like these two were experiencing.

“Was?” Ludwig questioned as he sat himself back in the chair that he had previously left.

That alone was enough to send Elke and Lieselotte back into a fit of giggles.

 

“Ich bin EIN Berliner!” Lieselotte giggled, her fingers curled in front of her lips before her giggles became louder, along with Elke.  
Ludwig snorted before breaking into laughter himself. 

June 26, 1963

This would mark history. He was sure of it. Ludwig stood up with Alfred, who had neatly cleaned his suit up, done his hair. Ludwig inspected the American, his hair still spiked up. He looked proper; you wouldn’t think that he was an idiot. Ludwig hoped he wouldn’t open his mouth and ruin the-for once-serious aura Alfred had. President Kennedy came onto stage, surrounded by multiple body guards. He shook the hand of Alfred before greeting him.

“Ah, Herr Belschmidt.” Ludwig winced at the pronunciation. “How are you today? It’s an honour to meet with you again.” He shook his hand firmly, a huge smile coming across his features. 

“Hallo sir, please, just Ludwig. It’s a great honour to meet you again too. Let’s hope this is not the last of our meetings.” Ludwig formally greeted the president. Kennedy laughed and patted the German on the shoulder before going off to the group of people at the end of the stage.

There was quite an atmosphere as soon as Kennedy stepped up to the podium to start his speech. He could see the president tapping the foot of his shoe against the stand, as he spoke. Ludwig droned out but kept his eyes forward as he spoke. Ludwig only started to tune in around the end of the speech.

“Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was “Civis romanus sum!”” Kennedy spoke, pausing for the grounds applause and cheer to die down before going on. “Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is, “Ich bin ein Berliner!”” Ludwig chuckled to himself, earning a weird look from Alfred as Ludwig tried to stop himself from causing too much of a scene. This was a serious event and he was able to manage to keep his straight face. The speech was empowering and inspiring either way, despite the bad accent. 

“All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, “Ich bin ein Berliner.” The crowd bursts into applauds and cheers and joyful hooting, Alfred and Ludwig clap politely as Kennedy comes down from the stand and is escorted out from the scene. 

“Ludwig, what was so funny today?” Alfred had pulled Ludwig aside after the crowd disappeared back into their homes. Ludwig smiled at Alfred and shook his head.

“Alfred, while your president’s interpreter may know German, doesn’t mean they know it fully.” The normally serious man chuckles to himself. 

The confused American face makes him go on.

“Ich bin EIN Berliner.” Another confused look from Alfred.

“I believe your president was trying to say I am a Berliner, correct?” 

“Yeah…?” 

“Alfred, you would want to say “ich bin Berliner.” NOT “ich bin EIN Berliner.” a Berliner is a type of jelly doughnut. Your president just said he was a jelly doughnut.”


End file.
